Method and means for baking brick



June 7 1927.

1,631,144 J. MCLAUGHLIN MET110D AND MEANS FOR BAKING BRICK Filed Jan. 11. 1926 ill Patented June 7, 192.7.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FFICE.

JAMES McLAUGHIiIN, oF BOLTON, ILIJ'INo'Is, sssreivoa TO RICHARDFITZGERALD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METHOD AND M ANS FOR BAKING BRICK.

This invention relates to an improved method and means 'to'r baking brick.

In practice it is often desi'rable'to bake large quantities of brick in one operation, as many as a million brick being baked at one time. Suitable hea't retaining means must be provided for the stack in order to insure that the green brick will be e yenly and thoroughly baked. Permanent kilns are unsatisfactory for this use, and this is particularly true if large quantities of brick are to be baked at one operation, owing to expense of construction, structural limitations as to size, the necessity for handling the brick by hand, etc. ricroirdiiigly, it the common practice to stack the green brick in such a manner as to proyid interstices for the heating gas-es of combi on, and to apply a coating of refractory material, such as ordinary ciayto the outer user of the stack. The fills the interstices betiveen the bricks of the outer layer, whereby the latter constitute the walls -ot' a kiln, suitable openings being provided in the top of. the stack to ensure the necessary draft. Heat is then applied in a suitable manner adjacent the bottom of the stackto bake the green brick. Thi's nejthod of baking brick presents several difficulties. Much time and labor is consumed in applying the clay to the outer bricks of the stack and after the bricks are baked, itis necessary to remove the outer coating. During the baking o eration the clay adheres to or fuses Wit-l1 the outer layer of brick and it is necessary, in order to remove the clay, to remove said outer layer. Considerable labor and ex pcnse is involved in this operation and the removed bricks are of no value 'as such but must be ground up if the material therein is to be further e'mpl'oyed. I

Because of the many difficulties arising from the use of permanent kilns and the use of clay, it has heretofore been proposed to employ various types of portable or sectional structures as heat retaining means, such structures being referred to in the art as portable scoving. scoving used consists of a number of plates, usually of metal, which are faced with heat resisting material, such as fire brick. Sections, constituted by the insulated plates. are adapted to be assembled as akiln structure. Scoving of this type is expensive to construct, and owing to the size and weight of The typical form of Application filed b'afiuai' 11, 192's. Serial No. 80,627.

the sections, is di'fiicult to handle. Machinery is required for assembling the sections and considerable time and labor is involved. Moreover, ,as now constructed, foundations are required for the scoving and expensive and complicated means are necessary 'for securing the sections together. I

An object of the present invention is to overcometjhe above dii'liculties by providing an improved method and n'ijea'ns for baking brick ivher'e'by 'all waste of brick may be avoided.

Another object is to avoid the expense involved in coiist'ructing a permanent kiln. Another object to provide a method which may be readily and "qi'iickly carried out by unskilled labor, and 'Without the necessity for lniin'dlingmachinery, such as is required by the use of "the usual portable 'sc'ojving. Other objects will appear more fully I hereinafter. v

One manner in which the heat retaining coverin'g 'of the present invention inav be associated with stack of brick is illustrated the accompanying drawing, Wherein a part of said covering broken away to show the stacked brick, but it is to he expressly understood that this drawing is for purposes of illustration only and is notto be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

Referring to the drawings, the green bricks l to'be baked are stacked in the usual manner to provi'd'e openings or arches 2 for the reception of suitable burners (not shown), such as oil burners, and the usual interstices 3 for the passage of the heating or baking gases. L In order to retain the heat Within the stack during the baking operation, a suitable scovi'ng or heatretaining covering is provided Which is inexpensive, light in Weight, and which inay be quickly and easily applied to the brick. Preferably this scoving or covering is constituted by sheets 4 of non-inflammable material, and otsuitable thickness and size. V'Vliile the sheets may be of metal, preferably asbestos is employed. The heat retaining means need not be constituted as a preformed unitary sheeting, a plurality of sheets of various sizes being placed directly on or against the green brick and supported thereby. The sheets constituting the side walls of the covering may be readily attached to the green brick as by means of nails or staples 6, etc. If desired, the sheets may be of such size that thevertical portion thereof or the portion employed as aside wall may be retained in place by bending the upper end of the sheets over the top of the stack, and it necessary, said sheets may be retained in place by nails driven through the latter into the green brick, or portions of the edge of the sheet may be inserted in the interstices 3. It will be. apparent that the covering may be constituted by a plurality of sheets which are merely placed over the stack to rest on the top layer of bricks and having the opposite ends of the same bent downwardly to cover the sides of the stack.

\Vith the stack thus prepared and covered heat is introduced through the openings 2 and the gases of: combustion will pass upward through the interstices between the brick and out through suitable openings provided in the top covering, if desired. The entire stack of brick thus receives an even baking. Then the operation is completed the covering or scoving is readily ren'iovable and may be employed again and again.

It will be apparent that there is provided a novel method and means for baking brick which are inexpensive and which avoid waste. A minimum of time, labor and eX- pense are required to apply or remove the heat retaining covering. The latter isreadily attachable to stacks of varying sizes and does not require the use of supporting or connecting means such as are employed in types of portable scoving now used. The plurality of sheets employed as heat retaining means may be associated in any suitable manner, as by overlapping the individual sheets. They may be retained in place by their own weight or, if desired, by the use of nails or suitable props. Openings may be provided at any convenient point or points by properly placing the sheets; or openings may be closed, if desired, by the use of an additional sheet or sheets.

As shown in the drawing, the stack of green brick may be erected in a shed 5, since such sheds are commonly employed in brick yards and are usually provided with machinery for handling and stacking the green bricln The shed, however, constitutes no part of the present invention,

It is to be expressly understood that the invention is not. restricted to any particular stacking of the bricks, the number of bricks which may be baked at one time, or the number and size of sheets employed in the heat retaining covering. Reference is therefore to be had to the appended claims vfor a definition of the limits of the invention.

I claim:

1. A method of baking brick, consisting in stacking said brick, covering said stack with a' plurality of loosely associated sheets of heat-retaining material resting thereon, and subjecting said stack to the action of heat.

2. A method of baking brick, consisting in stacking the green brick so as to form heat conducting passages through the stack, placing a covering comprising sheets of heat-retaining material on said stack, and passing heated gases through said passages.

3. A method of baking brick, consisting in stacking the brick, hanging aplurality of loose flexible sheets of heat-retaining ma terial over the stack to constitute a cover therefor, and subjecting the stack to the action of heat.

4. A scoving for baking brick comprising a plurality of loosely associated sheets of heat-retaining material placed over a stack of bricks to be baked and resting thereon.

5. A scoving for baking brick comprising a plurality of sheets of asbestos, and means for attaching the sheets directly to the brick to be baked.

6. A scoving for baking brick comprising sheets of non-inflammable and heat-retaining material adapted to constitute a cover for a stack of bricks to be baked when said sheets are placed thereon, said cover being entirely supported by said bricks.

7. A scoving for baking brick comprising a plurality of loose sheets of heat-retaining material, said sheets being supported by'a stack of brick to be baked and constituting a cover therefor. r

8. A scoving for baking brick comprising a plurality of loosely associated flexible sheets of heat-retaining material placed on a stack of brick to be baked and constituting a cover therefor.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

JAMES MOLAUGHLIN. 

